Lamp base and socket



LAMP BASE AND SOCKET Filed m 5, 1944 lNVE/VTOR:

ARTHUR B. ODAK HIS ATTORNEY.

Patented July 2, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics LAMP BASE AND SOCKET Arthur B. Oday, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to General ElectricCompany, a corporation of New York Application May a, 1944, Serial N 534,006

3 Claims.

portion of aligned lamps mounted in end-to-end.

relation. Millions of lamps and sockets s constructed have been sold and installed. In-many installations, however, the lamps are mounted in spaced, parallel position rather than mendto-end relation. The length of the base pins and the thickness of the socket, thus, could be selected to suit needs and requirements other than those which determined the dimensions of these memhas in the development of the lamp for end-to end mounting. For example, the tolerances in the spacing of the sockets which are necessarily rather close with present commercial sockets and lamps designed primarily for end-to-end lamp /mounting could be substantially increased in the parallel mounting of'the lamps by making the base pins longer and the bases thicker. The advantages of larger tolerances for mounting spaced sockets in lamp fixtures are substantial and important, resulting in the saving of time 7 and expense in the fabrication and assembly of such articles.

Obviously, however, increasing the length of the base pins of the present lamps, which lamps are made of standard over-all length measured between the ends of the base pins at opposite ends of the lamps, would prevent the introduction of the lamps into sockets now installed in existing fixtures. Of course, it is possible to provide some lamps with longer pins than those on the present lamps but this would multiply the number 45 22 and 23 resist any tendency of the lamp ii of standard length lamps by a factor of two and result in complications in making, storing and ordering the lamps which are highly desirable to avoid.

The principal object of my invention is to provide lamps ofstandard overall length which may be used interchangeably with existing lamp sockets and with sockets of substantially greater depth or thickness permitting larger tolerances in socket spacing than is possible with exist- 2 is to provide a new socket and a new base for elongated double-ended, electric lamps and providing greater contact area between eng gin parts. Further objects and advantages of my 6 invention will appear from the accompanyin drawing and the appended claims.

In the drawing: e Fig. 1 is a side elevational view or a conventional simple type of fixture supporting a conventional lamp; Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of a conventional socket; Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and showing one end of a lamp secured in the socket; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of my new base; Fig.5 is a top.

partly sectional view similar to Fig. 3 of a socketand lamp base embodying my invention and Fig. 6 is a similar view oi my new base. mounted in a conventional ket.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2. the fixture illustrated comprises a hollow, elongated. ballast and current wire accommodating housing l0 having mounted thereon a pair of spaced socket l l which are provided with a slotted shoulder l2 accommodating fastening bolts ii. The housing I 0 also supports the usual starter I l. ets ii are spaced sumciently to accommodate and support therebetween a double-ended lamp I! which may b a fluorescent lamp.of the typewell known in commerce. Such lamps have at each end a bipin' 0r two.prong base ll, shown in Fig. 3. The pins l1 and II on each base it are coplanar with those on the other base II 01' the lamp II. The lamp I5 is mounted between the sockets II by moving it transversely to its longitudinal axis into the space between said sockets H with the pins l1 and I8 held in alignment with a straight slot is (Fig. 2) in each 01' the socket II. The lamp is then rotated 90) to move the pins i1 and II into arcuate slots 20 and 2| on either side of the straight slot I! of the socket. The pins l1 and i8 then engage spring contacts 22 and 2thoused in the elec-, trically insulating parts oi socket I l and disposed in slots 20 and 2|, respectively. The contacts to rotate in the sockets. I i. The straight slot i9 and the arcuate slots 20 and II are defined, in part, by astud 24 which consists 01' two spaced parts, lunette shaped in transverse section, se-

cured to and extending from the rear wall of the socket recess to the front face of a socket cover 25 as shown-in Fig. 3.

The lamp and sockets of the-type shown in Figs. 1 to 3' and described above are well known ing sockets. Another. object of my invention 5 in commerce, are disclosed in the MarshausRe- The sookissue Patent "21,54 of August- 27, 1940, and have been included herein for the purpose of contrast between the present base and socket structure and my new base and socket structure shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. I

In Fig. 4 the new lamp base 28 is shown auto! a. socket and in Fig. 5 inserted in my new socket. A shown, the base 23 comprises pins 28 and 21 which are longer than the pins [1 and i8 of the conventional base 16 shown in Fig. 3 and an electrically insulating member 29 which is located between thesaid pins 26 and 21. The insulating member 29 is 01' suflicient depth or thickness, measured from the surface of the base outward, that the part of the pins 26 and 21 extending be- -yond member -29 is equ'ei in length to that of the exposed portion of pins l1 and of the base It (Fig.3) Lamp bases of the type shown in Fig. 4 may be inserted in conventional sockets in the conventional manner described above and when so inserted the member 29 is in position to butt against the stud 24 as shown in Fig. 6. The possible displacement or the lamp l5 longitudinally thu is limited by member 29 so that the pins 26 and 21 at either end of the lamp cannotbe moved out of the conventional .socket in the direction of the longitudinal axis or the lamp It.

course, the overall length of the lamps provided with the new bases, that is, the distance between the ends of the pins at opposite ends oi the lamp, must be the same as that of the lamps provided with the present commercial base in 7 order to be mountable in commercial sockets now.

installed. This may be achieved by merely shortening the glass envelope of the lamp lia distance 'equal to the increase in the length of the pins" and 21 at each end of the lamp. For example, if 'the'lens h q! the pins 28 and 21 on each lamp base is increased one-eighth of an inch the lamp envelope is made one-quarter inch shorter to make the overall length 0! the lamp the same. as

that of present commercial lamps.

The new base is also engageabie with-sockets of the type shown in Fig. which are similar,

except as noted below, to the sockets shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The stud parts 20 and II or the socket shown in Fig. Sure the same in length as the studs 24 of the conventional sockets shown in Figs. 1 to 3 but themain body portion of the socket is greater in depth or thickness so that these stud parts terminate appreciably short or the outer face of the cover 25. The contacts 32 greater distance from the closest possible spacing of the sockets when the 1 new rather than the conventional sockets are used. For example, if the width of the contacts 32 and 33 is one-eighth inch greater in the ne'wsocket than in the conventional socket, then the sockets. may be spaced one-quarter of an inch farther apart than conventional sockets without risk of the lamp falling out of the socket or the contact'pins on the lamp 1 Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, an elongated electric lamp: having a base at each end and a pair of spaced sockets supporting said lamp; each of said lamp bases comprising two-spaced, outwardly projecting, parallel, socket engaging, contact pins and another, shorter projection on said base between said pins which isof mall height compared to the length. of said pins; each or said socketscomprising an electrically insulating housing provided with a recess and astud upstanding from the bottom of said recess to define with the wall of said recess an arcuate slot accommodating said base pins; spring contact members disposed in said slot, engaging said base pin and extending from the free end of said stud toward the back wall of said recess, said stud terminating short ofthe outer face of said socket-a distance substantially equal to the height of said projection onsaid lamp base and serving as'a stop engage able with the shorter projection on said lamp base to limit longitudinal movement of said lamp in said sockets.

and 23 or the ocket shown in Fig. 5 are of greater width than that of the contacts 22 and 23 of the sockets shown in Fig. 3 and-extend from the end or parts 30 and II toward the backwall oi the socket recess. The area of contact between the pins 28 and 21 and contacts 32 and 33 is thus sub- 2. A lamp base comprising a'shell having contact pins projecting outward from the bottom thereof,.and an embossment on the bottomof said shell bridging the space between the opposed in-- her side ofsaid pins and being of small height compared to the length of the said Pins. the outer.

sides 01' said pins being exposed for their run lengths.

34m elongated electric plihav'ing-bases at its ends for engaging a pair of sockets, each oi said bases comprisinga shell having parallel contact pins projecting outward longitudinally of the lamp from the end of said shell for engaging contact in asocket, and an embossmenton the end of said shell bridging'the space between stantially greater than that between the pins II and II and the contacts 22 and 23 of the sockets of Figs. 1 to 3 and the effective physical and electrical connection between the lamp base and the socket is greater. The increased width of the contacts 32 and 22 makes it possible to depart a the opposed inner sides of said pins, the outer sides of said pins being exposed for their iull lengths, the said embossment being or small heightjcompared to the length oi. the said pins, whereby the embossments serve to limit relative movement between the lamp and the sockets lon-' gitudin'ally of the lamp. ARTHUR B. ODAY.

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